“The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” gave us the answer to the ultimate question, the meaning of life, the universe and everything. Of course, it was 42! But the problem was no-one knew THE ultimate question, so there’s still a puzzle…

Most of us, if we find a moment in our busy modern lives to consider the big questions of life, will say that we’d like answers to:

• - Where did it all begin?
• - Where did I come from?
• - Why am I here?
• - What’s my purpose while I'm here?
• - What happens after I die?

And then there are the other, perhaps deeper, questions like:

• - What is truth?
• - How do we find the right moral code for life?
• - Are there ethical absolutes?
• - Does God exist?

Oh, and the old chestnuts of:

• - Do extraterrestrials really exist?
• - Is warp drive possible?
• - Why can’t we predict the weather?
• - Is time an illusion?
• - What's reality anyway?

It seems that in our amazingly technological, information superhighway world we have vast quantities of knowledge, huge amounts of data and endless streams of opinions, yet still have no real answers to these big questions of life.

Well, no surprise to you I am sure, I am persuaded that we can look into the Bible and find some of these answers. OK, the warp drive one may not be an easy one to find an answer to, but the Bible is truly our Guide to life, the universe and everything, so let’s dig in and explore some of the answers...

Wow! What a few days we have had!

The last weekend with the Livin’ It youth event featuring ADapt and LZ7 was amazing! The positive feedback from the young people of the town has been great and we are looking to see God do even greater things in our midst.

Plus, with involvement in the Burgess Hill Festival Town Day, we have found great favour with the councils of the area. We are beginning to impact the community in the fresh new ways that we should as the people of God

Then today we have had the privilege of celebrating the life of Pastor Abiah (Abe) Armstrong – a great unsung hero of the faith who built churches, pastored generations and gave his best for the glory of the King. Totally inspired and humbled to have been around Abe and to be officiating at his memorial service and funeral.

Several of us from MSCCentre travelled to Huddersfield this last week to hear of the changes to the Assemblies of God UK and to be inspired by the plans for a new way forward to reach the nation with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Part of the restructure brings five new Regional Leaders for the movement…

And we are so excited to have one of the AoG’s five new Regional Leaders coming to MSCCentre for the weekend of 2nd & 3rd April! Ian Williams (Wales & West) will be with us for our special I’m No Fool day conference focussing on Living from Heaven: prophetic discipleship. It is going to be a pivotal day in the life of the church for this year and, I believe, for years to come as we build into all God has for us.

It would be great to see you on 2nd April – book up as soon as possible to make sure of your place. Cost is just £15 which includes lunch and refreshments for the day.

Wow! What a really great atmosphere at MSCCentre this weekend for our Vision Sunday 2011! We had a lot of fun Sunday morning with hot air balloons (sort of), jigsaws (really!), a cascade of balloons all getting popped, and prizes too! A memorable day to kick start the New Year.

So what is the vision for 2011? That as a church and as individuals that we will live from Heaven by seeing from Heaven and taking faith-actions that reach into the lives of those around us. We will have more up on the site soon (the powerpoint overview, the podcast and even some video footage). But until then here are the key thoughts:

Seeing from Heaven

• - Fresh perspective… Rev 4:1/Eph 2:6
• - As it is in heaven… Matt 6:10
• - Seeing with the eyes of faith… John 5:19-20
• - Taking faith-actions… Eph 2:10
• - Seeing souls saved & people’s lives transformed… Prov 11:30/2 Cor 3:18

And with an emphasis on“focus, consolidate & build momentum” based on our core values of:

• - God encounter
• - Worship experience
• - Mission emphasis
• - Everyone engaged

So 2011 here we come! Believing for an exciting year in God as we see from Heaven and begin living in all the fulness of His Kingdom here on earth.

Here we are: the very beginning of 2011! A new year, a new opportunity to be all you can be in Jesus!

Someone has calculated that there are 31,536,000 seconds this year (same as most years'!) so what are you going to do with them all? Thing is, all time is spent or invested – and once it has gone it’s gone. So make the most of this wonderful new start God has given you.

Also, Ruth and I wanted to say a huge, great big “thank you” to the whole church family for your fabulous Christmas gift to us! It was completely unexpected and totally amazing and overwhelming – it truly means a tremendous amount to us – thanks!

And don’t forget that this Sunday (9th Jan) is our 2011 Vision Day: starting the New Year with fresh perspective! Come along for an insight into God’s plans for MSCCentre, for some special worship and for a bit of fun, as well!